Means for loosening a window sash from its frame



Jan. 16, 1940. J. WALDHEIM 2,186,944

MEANS FOR LOOSENING A WINDOW SASH FROM ITS FRAME v Filed April 4, less 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 16, 1940. J. WALDHEIM MEANS FOR LOOSENING A WINDOWSASH FROM ITS FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1936 W m m 3/ 9 T Af F M 41' 0 I H 3 2 3 V K Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED- srArEs' MEANSFOR LOOSENING A SASH FROM-ITS FRAME Jchn Waldl eim, Elizabeth, J. v v 7Application April 4,1936, Serial No. 72,723 I 18 Claims. This inventionrelates to means and the method of looseninga window sash from itsframe.

It is sometimesdifficult: to open a window due to the fact that the sashbecomes jammed .in'a skewed position between the sidesv of the windowframe, and also because the sashbecornes joined to the frame due topainting. To loosen the sash in each instance generally requiresconsiderable force and oftencauses great discomfort and sometimes injuryto the palms of the hands by bumping them against the upper cross bar ofthe lowery-window sash. The loosening of the sash may be accomplished bya slight movement of the sash after which thesash may be moved withease.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device in the form ofa jack by which a com paratively small movementmay be imparted to thesash with great pressure and a minimum of efiort on the part of theoperative, to loosen the sash from the frame so that it may besubsequently moved readily without the use of the jack to completelyopen: the window.

Another object of the invention is to provide a jack for use on anordinary plain window sash Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. .1. showinga shorter adjustable rod section thereon;

Fig. l shows a fragmentary portion. of thejack in its actuated position.H

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5 -5. of Fig. 2; r

Fig- 6 is a diagrammatic.' view of the. jack show? ing it in position.to pry up the lower sash. of a Window; I

Fig. 7 is. a View, similar to a. portion oi Fig. 6, showing the jack inplace to pry down the upper Sash; l

Fig. 8 is a sectional side view taken on. the lines 8 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional side view taken on the line H, and an" extensionsection, [8.

The jack comprises two elements, namely a lever l5 and a rod or shaft[6. actuated thereby, the rod being composed, for a purposehereinafterdescribed, of two sections, a base section The lever l5 consists of ahandle IB- and a lobe or rocker-shaped portion 2i! on-which the levermay be actuated, byv means of the handle 13, from the position, Fig. l,to the position in Fig. 4, to actuate the rod itlengthwise. The leveri5? is provided with acircul'arportiomm, herein shown as concaved,engaging a convexed portion 22 formed onthe lower end of the basesection I! of the rod i6.

The curved portion 2! forms with the rockerlike portion 2ll' a curvedwedge likemember or cam 23 which, while the lever is being rocked on thelobe or curved fulcrum 20, to the position rod.

One of the uses of the jack, as v above stated, is to my a window sashloose from the. window frame. Forv this purpose the jack may be placedas in Figs. 6 and 8 with the lever 15' engaging an object foreign to thejack such as. the window sill 25, of a window frame '26., and the upperend cant to be applied where the lever engages the 24 of. the rod l6engaging under the upper crossbar 21, near one side thereof, of the.lower sash 28. The lever, l5 may then be actuated by swinging the handlei9 away from. the rod l6, towards the opposite sideiof the sash, thuscausing the curved wedge-shaped portion 23 to creep or work inunder thelower end of the rod section H5, while the lever acts against the windowsill 25, to. in-

crease the efiective length of the jack and thus push the sash 28upwardly. Only a slight movement of the sash is required to pry itloose.

It will be understood that the active fulcrum portion of the lobe 2t! ofthe lever Ill/isalways substantially under the rod section ll, see Figs.

1 and 4, thus making possible not only a uniform pressure, for allpositions of the lever, but also maximum pressure is always appliedthereby.

After the left handside of the sash 28 has been loosened the jack. maybe placed at the opposite side of the window, as indicated indotand-dash lines, Fig. 6, so that the rod I6 engages the sash bar 21near its opposite side. The lever I5 may then be again operated, asbefore, to pry loose the right hand side of the sash. After the sash hasbeen thus pried loose at both sides, it may readily be raised in theusual manner, without the use of the jack, to any desired position. Thejack may be tilted slightly from a vertical position, as shown indot-and-dash lines in Fig. 6, when used at either side of the sash. Thisis done to have the upper end 24 of the rod I6 either vertically abovethe point of contact of the lobe 20 or slightly toward the lever side ofthe jack with reference to a vertical plane extending through said pointof contact.

The jack of this invention may also be used, with equal facility, tolower the upper sash 30. For this purpose the jack is placed near oneside of the sash 30, as in Figs. '7 and 9, with the lever I5 set on thelower cross bar 3| of the upper sash 30 so that it may readily bereached by the operator standing at the window. While the jack is inthis position the upper end 24 of the rod I6 is caused to engage underthe upper portion or lintel 32 of the window frame 26 and the lever I5is then operated, as above described in connection with the lower sash20, thus pushing the sash 30 downwardly. This operation is subsequentlyrepeated at the opposite side of the sash 30. After the sash 30 has beenthus loosened at both sides it also may be manipulated readily withoutthe use of the jack.

While lowering the upper sash 30 by means of the jack the lowercross-bar 3! of the upper sash 30 moves down behind the upper cross-bar21 of the lower. sash 28. Consequently the lever I5 moves down in thenarrow space between the upper cross-bar 21 of the lower sash and theglass pane of the upper sash 30. Accordingly the lever I5 and the rod IEare comparatively narrow to permit the jack to move down behind thecross-bar 21. The lever is also cut away at I9 Fig. 2, so that thehandle may extend slightly diagonally over the upper cross-bar 21towards the operator while the lobe 2!! extends down behind said crossbar 21.

To prevent scratching of the window frame and the sash the lobe orfulcrum portion 20 of the lever may be provided with a piece 33 of anykind of non-abrasive material as for example leather or rubber, and theupper end 24 of the rod I6 is capped with a portion 34 of the same kindof non-abrasive material. These portions 33 and 34 may be secured to thelever and rod I 6 respectively in any suitable manner as for example bynails 35 and 36, the lever I5 and rod I6 being preferably composed ofwood although they may be composed of metal.

The lever I5 is preferably attached to the rod I6 to form a unitarystructure. To this end said lever is provided with a projection 3!herein shown as a staple which is driven into the lever so that its loopend 38 is substantially concentric with the center of curvature of thecurved portion 2| of the lever. The staple 31 engages in a narrow,upwardly extending slot 39 in the lower end of the rod I6, and a pin 40extends through the two ears 4 I, formed on the rod, by the slot 33, andthrough the loop 38 of the staple 37. The staple 31 fits around the pin40 loosely and does not aid in keeping the rod I6 properly positionedlengthwise of the lever, this being accomplished by the socket or groove2|, in which the rod engages. The staple 31 does, however, preventdisplacement of the rod I6 transversely of the lever I5 .mension s ofliving room windows.

because it fits into the slot 39 of said rod. The looseness between theloop 38 of the staple 31 and the pin 40 permits the lever I5 to be swungclose to the rod section IT, as in Fig. 3, for convenience in storingthe jack while not in use.

The heights of window sashes vary from small dimensions of pantryWindows to larger dimensions of bath room windows and to still largerdi- Accordingly provision is made to vary the length of the jack. Forthis purpose the rod I6 is composed of the two sections I1 and I8, aspreviously stated, the

extension section I8 being settable up or down on the base section I I,in various positions, in accordance with the desired length of the jack.The sections l1 and I8 are provided with teeth 4| and 42 respectivelywhich constitutes interlocking means to prevent the extension section I8from slipping down on the base section I I while the jack is underpressure.

To hold the extension rod section I 8 against the base section I! andthus maintain the teeth 42 in engagement with the teeth 4I suitablemeans may be provided, herein shown as a clamp, indicated generally bythe numeral 43. Said clamp consists of a U-shaped frame 44, composed ofsheet metal and comprising two side plates 45 bent up from a transverseportion 45, see Figs. 2 and 5, so as to fit around the upper end of therod section I1 to which the frame 44 is secured by nails 41 extendingthrough the portion 46 of said frame and driven into the rod section H.A member 48 is located between and is secured to the free ends of theside plates 45. Said member has cooperating therewith a cam 49 hereinshown as pivotally supported by said member or pin 48 so that as the camis swung about the pin 48 to the full line position in Fig. 2, by afinger piece 50, it presses the rod section I8 against the rod section II and holds it there. It will be understood that the engaging faces ofthe teeth 4| and 42 extend at right angles to the direction of pressureof the rod sections I1 and I8. Consequently there is no force orpressure against the cam 49 or its pivot 48 e fected by the thrustaction of the rod. Consequently there is no danger of accidentallyopening or injuring the clamp while pressure is exerted on the rod I6.

When the clamp is to be released, to permit the length of the jack to bechanged, the cam 49 is swung upwardly about the pivot 48, to thedotand-dash line position in Fig. 2. The extension section I8 may thenbe actuated about the upper end of the base section IT, to the positionshown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2, to disengage the teeth 42 fromthe teeth 4I. Subsequently the extension section I8 may be moved up ordown, on the base section H, in accordance with the desired length ofthe jack. The jack section I! has at its upper end a flat face 5I onwhich the teeth 42 may slide so that the up or down movements of theextension section I8 may be free and without hinderance by the teeth 4|.After the extension section has been adjusted to the desired length ofthe jack it may be swung back against the section I6 and then be claimedin place. as above described, by the clamp 43. It will be understoodthat the cam 49 may be disposed as in Fig. 3, in its clamping position,so as to be swung downwardly by the handle 50* during the releasingoperation of the clamp.

To provide the proper distance of the pin 48 from the rod section I8 sothat the cam may property engage the rod section I! and that the fingerpiece 50 shall not be too close to said rod section in the clampingpositioniof the cam, one or more wedges 5 2 are provided. These wedgesare located between the rod section lland the portion 46 of the clampframe M and may be adjusted relatively to each other to procure thedesired distance of the pin 18 from therod section Subsequently thenails11 are driven through said wedges and hold them in place.

The extension section l8 has a definite length and is shown, by fulllines, in its minimumad justment, which makes: the jack twenty sixincheslongas indicated by a scale on th rod? section l8, and a pointer 5ton'the rod sectio" it; i The length of the jack maybe increased tolthirtfive inches by extending the section :a. upwardly to the positionindicated indot and-dash lines. If the jack is to be used for a windowsash smaller than the range of adjustmentof the rod section til, thelatter may be readily removed and substituted by a smaller section l3, 3the latter having a scale 53* by which it may be set tovariouspositionsto alter the length of the jack withinthe' range of sixteeeninches totwenty fi-ve inches. may alsobe gauged if desired by placing iton thewindowsill and pulling the "extension rod other element during theoperation of the jack section upwardly until'it engageaunder the upperoross-bar 21' of the sash.

Occasionally the sash sticks in slightly open position. Should; thishappen to: the lower: sash the jack may be used to push. the sashtowards its closed positionby operating the lever after it has beenplaced on. the upper cross bar oi the lower sash and while the upper endof the rod engages the liutle. Similarly the sashfmay be pushed towardsits closed position by operate ing the lever against the window sil-lwhi=le the upper end of the rod engages the lower cross-bar of the uppersash. i a From the foregoing it will be understood that the jack of thisinvention comprises two elements, namely, a lifting rod it? and a lever$5 of the first order to engage under theljowernd of saidrod. said leverhaving a fulcrum portion 20 on its edge by which the rod is. actuated.axiall'y; that said rod has a curved base portion 22 and the lever has acurved portion h! conforming to the shape of the curved base portion toengage the latter, that said curved pcrti a 2i andv 2"). cooperate eachother prev t one of said elements out of engagemt. at

, projection -37, herein shown as a staple, extending into said slot,and that a pin- H1 extends through said ears ll and through the apertureof said projection. or, in other words, the loop 38 of the staple, toprevent accidental displacement of the rod transversely of the lever andto keep said concaved portion 2i and said convened portion 22 withincooperative range of each other,' that the staple and. pin d0 provide ameansfor connecting the lever with the rod to form a unitary structure,and that the lever engages.- beneath the-rod to actuate it independentlyof this connecting means.

It will be understood that the jack It will be further understood thatthe lever l5 and. the rod I 6 are of substantially the same width and!sufiiciently narrow so that the jack may be set on the lower cross barof the upper sash of a window when the. upper sash of the window is: to.be lowered and may move. downwardly behind the upper cross bar of thelower sash while the uppersash isbeing lowered, and

thatfthe upper end of the rod. bears against the lintle oi the windowframe. during the lowering operation oi the upper sash.

It should also. be understood that the rod 16 oi'the jack is composed oftwo. sections I1 and I8, that: the. lever 15. engagesthe lower end ofone of said; sections to actuate the rodin the direction of length,that. said sections. ll and IB overlap each other, that. one of saidsections is adjustable lengthwise of the other to alter the length. otthe; rod, that therev are interlock ng mes-ma. herein shown as. teeth41' and 42, between the overlapping: portions. of the rod sections to atextending from the lever engaged section, an

element or cam t?) between said plates, and a member or pivot to,supported by the; free end of said plates, with which said cam.cooperates, that said. adjustable.- section 558 is guided between thetwo; side plates. 45",. that said cam engages the adjustable section tohold it: against the other section. toprevent said teethv from slippingout of engagement with each other, and that there is provided aninclined toothless surface fil at the upper end of the. toothed side ofthe base rod section til against which the extension section may beswung; to disengage. its teeth from those ofthe base section and on.which. toothless surface the extension section it may be slid freely upor down to prevent a collision of the teeth 45-- with the teeth 4'2While changing the length of the rod t5, and; thatv the distance.between said memleer d ll and nearest. face of the adjustable rodsection may be regulated so. that the cooperating element or cam mayproperly engage the ad, justable rod section [8.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be understood that changes in theforr'rnarranger-merits, proportions, sizes: and details thereof maybemade without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim: f

1'. In a jack, the combination of two elements, namely a lifting rod,and a lever to actuate said rod, said rod' having a curved bottomend,said lever having a curved portion extending under said rod, the curvedportion of said lever con forming to the shape of the curved bottom endto engage the latter, said lever having also a curved bearing sectionadapted to engage an object foreign to said jack or the purpose of rocking the lever and thus causing it to push said each other to preventslipping of one of said elements out of engagement with the otherelement during the operation oi the jack, said lever the curved bottomend of said 'rod and the curved portion of said lever cooperatingwithbeing of the first order so that the movement of the rod is produced bya movement in the opposite direction of the handle part of the lever.

2. A jack comprising only two elements, namely a lever, and a liftingrod to be actuated thereby, cooperative portions one on each of saidelements, one of said cooperative portions being a curved socket, theother cooperative portion being convexed to fit into said socket, acurved fulcrum hump on said lever to form a cam with the cooperativeportion of said lever, and on which hump the lever may be rocked tocause the cam to work under said rod to operate it lengthwise of itself,one of said elements having a slot therein forming two ears, the otherelement having a projection extending into said slot, said projectionhaving an aperture, and a pin extending through said ears and throughthe aperturecof said projection to prevent accidental detachment of thehandle from the rod and to keep said socket and said convexed portionwithin cooperative range of each other.

3. A jack comprising only elements, namely a lifting rod, and a lever toactuate said rod, said lever having a curved portion to engage beneaththe base of the rod, a fulcrum hump on said lever about which it may beactuated to cause the curved portion to cooperate with said base toactuate said rod, and guiding means carried by one of said elements andcooperating with the other element to prevent the rod from slipping fromthe lever transversely thereof, said lever being of the first order sothat the movement of the rod is produced by a movement in the oppositedirection of the handle part of the lever 4. In a jack, the combinationof a rod including two sections, a lever to engage the lower end of oneof said sections to actuate the rod in the direction of its length, saidsections overlapping each other, one of said sections being adjustablelengthwise of the other to alter the length of the rod, clamping meanssupported on and at the upper end of the lever engaged section of saidrod, the adjustable section being guided by the clamping means only, andteeth on both sections to engage each other to prevent slipping of onesection relatively to the other section while the jack is underpressure, said clamping means including a member to engage theadjustable section to hold it against the other section to prevent saidteeth from slipping out of engagement with each other.

5. In a jack, the combination of a rod including two sections, a leverto engage the lower end of one of said sections to actuate the rod inthe direction of its length, said sections overlapping each other, oneof said sections being adjustable lengthwise of the other to alter thelength of the rod, clamping means on said lever engaged section of saidrod, the adjustable section being guided by the clamping means, andteeth on both sections to engage each other to prevent slipping of onesection relatively to the other section while the jack is underpressure, said clamping means including a member to engage theadjustable section to hold it against the other section to prevent saidteeth from slipping out of engagement with each other, said member beingsettable to another position without removing it from the jack to permitthe adjustable section I to be moved away from the other section todising two sections, namely a base section, and an extension section,clamping means on the base section to secure the extension section tosaid base section, said extension section being detachable so that itmay be substituted by another one of different length while the clampingmeans remains on the base section, said clamping means serving also toguide the extension section onto the base section.

7. In a device for loosening a window sash from its frame, thecombination of a lever having a fulcrum portion to engage directly witha window sill, and a rod extending from said lever to the upper crossbar of the lower sash, said lever engaging the lower end of said rod topush it upwardly and thus move the sash in the same direction, saidlever and said rod being narrow and of substantially the same width sothat the device may be set on the lower cross bar of the upper sash whenthe upper sash is to be lowered and so that a portion of the device maymove downwardly behind the upper cross bar of the lower sash while theupper sash is being lowered, the upper end of the rod bearing againstthe lintel of the window frame during the actuation of the lever whilelowering the upper sash.

8. In a jack, the combination of a rod, and a lever to engage one end ofsaid rod, said lever having a rocker-like portion at one end adapted toengage the surface of an object foreign to the jack, and a handle at theother end thereof, said lever being operable by a movement of saidhandle to rock the lever by its rocker-like portion upon the foreignobject to thereby move the rod axially, said lever having its activefulcrum substantially under said rod to produce always a substantiallyuniform and maximum pressure on said rod.

9. In a jack, the combination of a rod, a lever, said lever having arocker-dike portion at one end to engage the surface of an objectforeign to said jack, and a handle at the other end thereof, said leverbeing of the first order and operable by a movement of said handle torock the lever upon its rocker-like portion to thereby move the rodaxially, and means connecting the rocker-like portion of the lever withthe end of said rod, the lever engaging beneath the end of the rod toactuate said rod independently of the connecting means, said leverhaving its active fulcrum substantially under said rod to produce alwaysa substantially uniform and maximum pressure on said rod.

10. In a jack, the combination of two elements namely a rod, and a leverto engage one end of the rod to push the latter axially, one of saidelements having a depression in which the other element engages, one ofsaid elements having a slot in the end thereof, a staple on the otherelement, said staple extending into the slot of the other element, and apin on the last mentioned element extending through said staple.

11. In a jack, the combination of a rod including two sections, a leverto engage the lower end of one of said sections to actuate the rod inthe direction of its length, said sections overlapping each other, onesaid sections being adjustable lengthwise of the other to alter thelength of the rod, clamping means on the lever engaged section of saidrod, said clamping means including two side plates extending from thelever engaged section, a member extending from one to the other of saidside plates, an element located between said side plates and cooperatingwith said member to press the adjustable rod section against the leverengaged rod section, and interlever, and a rod operable by said lever,said jackv locking means between said rod sections.

12. In a jack, the combination of two elements, namely a rod, and alever to engage the end of said rod to actuate the latter, one of saidelements having a slot therein to form two members. a staple on theother element extending into said slot, and a pin extending through saidmembers and through the loop of said staple.

13. In a jack, the combination of a lifting rod,

and means to actuate it axially, said rod com prising two sectionsnamely a base section and an extension section, teeth on each rodsection. to cooperate with each other to prevent slipping of theextension section on the base section while the rod is under pressure,means to hold the extension section against the base section,

and a toothless portion at the upper end of the toothed side of the basesection against which the extension section may be swung to disengageits teeth from those of the base section and on which toothless portionthe extension section may be slid freely up or down while changing thelength of the jack.

14. In a jack, the combination of a rod, and a lever, said lever havinga curved wedge-like portion to engage said rod and gradually creep underone end of it to move the rod axially while the lever is being actuated,the active fulcrum of said lever being always substantially under saidrod.

15. In a jack, the combination of a load engaging rod, and a lever toactuate said rod, said rod having a curved surface at its lower end,said lever having a curved portion conforming to the shape of saidcurved surface and'which said lower end engages, said lever havingalso'a curved fulcrum surface to engage an object foreign to the jackand upon which said lever may be rocked, the center of curvature of therod engaging surface being so disposed with respect to the center ofvcurvature of the fulcrum surface as to form a cam at one end of thelever wherev by the rod may be actuated.

being of sufiicient length to reach from the lower cross bar of an upperwindow sash to the lintel of the window frame, said jack being alsosufficiently narrow to pass freely between the upper cross bar of thelower sash and the window pane of the upper sash while the upper sash isbeing lowered by the jack, said lever having a fulcrum lobe thereon toengage the lower cross bar of theupper sash, and a handle extending fromsaid lobe, said handle being positioned with respect to said lobe thatit may extend slightly diagonally over the upper cross bar of the lowersash while the lobe extends down behind said upper cross bar.

17. In a jack, the combination of two elements, namely a lifting rod,and a-lever to actuate said rodysaid rod having a curved bottom end,said lever having a curved portion conforming to the shape of saidcurved bottom end to cooperate therewith to maintain engagement betweenthe lifting rod and the lever, said lever also having a curved bearingsection adapted to rock on an object and push saidlifting rod away fromthe object engaged by said curved bearing section of said lever, saidcurved bottom end of the lifting rod and said curved portion of thelever cooperating therewith being so shaped as to maintain the lower endof the lifting rod substantially over the area of contact between thecurved bearing section of the lever and the object on which it bears.

18. A jack including two elements namely, a

lever, and a lifting rod to be actuated by said lever, cooperativeportions one on each of said elements, one of said cooperative portionsbeing a curved socket, the other cooperative portion being convexed. tofit into said socket, and a curved fulcrum hump on said leverto form acam with the cooperative portion of said lever, and on which hump thelever may be rocked to cause the cam to work under said rod to operateit lengthwise of itself.

I JOHN WALDHEIM.

